


Survival

by LadyLindariel (Morwen80)



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 09:09:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5621611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morwen80/pseuds/LadyLindariel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ride of Imladris' two esteemed Lords bring unexpected consequences and a race for survival of the fittest. This is set before the war of the ring</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Guess You Were Right

I Guess You Were Right.

Glorfindel whistled a merry tune to himself as he carefully folded a spare cloak into his pack. Although the sun was shining brightly presently, the twice born warrior knew how quickly the weather could change if it wanted to.

He and Erestor were going on an "adventure", as the chief councilor called it this day. In Glorfindel's mind it was only a week long trip in the forest's surrounding the Last Homely House to drag the dark haired elf away from his desk for a while.

Erestor was always so busy, cooped up inside his study, writing reports, translating documents and of course, reading. Because of this, Glorfindel thought it a grand idea to take Erestor out on a hiking trip for the week. Erestor thought it preposterous, per usual, and wouldn't hear of it. He stood his ground and refused to let the golden haired elf sway his mind.

So naturally, Glorfindel went to Lord Elrond and persuaded him to agree with him, using the argument that Erestor was working himself too hard and needed a break.

"Elrond he is cooped up in his study all day every day. He hardly stirs from it except for meals." Glorfindel stood in Lord Elrond's study, trying to convince the lord of Imladris that his advisor needed some time away from his library and study.

"I hardly think he will agree to this Glorfindel." Elrond raised one eyebrow at his longtime friend. "You know yourself how stubborn he can be when it suits him."

A smile made its way onto Glorfindel's face. "He will not refuse if it is you that gives him the order. He needs the break."

Elrond stood behind his desk, his finger absently playing with the quill he had left on the smooth polished wood. "I understand your argument all too well Glorfindel." He sighed. "Very well, I give you my permission to take Erestor out with you. But please do not antagonize him as you sometimes have a habit of doing!"

Glorfindel had the grace to blush as this was said. It was true; he and Erestor were often at each other's throats, but for the most it was playful fun that was harmless. "I promise I will not." With a spring in his steps he turned to ready his pack.

Glorfindel smiled as he remembered the look of pure horror on Erestor's face as Lord Elrond informed him that he would be accompanying Glorfindel on his trip.

"But Lord Elrond I cannot possibly go! I have those trade documents to write up for you!" Erestor wailed in annoyance. But Elrond was not to be swayed. Glorfindel stood behind him, smirking slightly.

Elrond sighed. Why did he left Glorfindel talk him into this? "Erestor you spend too much time in here," he gestured around the room. "You must allow yourself some free time every now and again. Glorfindel has graciously offered to take you with him on his trip."

Erestor glared at the golden haired warrior standing behind his lord. "I cannot. I am sorry but I have documents to write, reports due and other various items that need doing that cannot be done by anyone else."

"I will have someone else write them up for me. You need a break from that desk of yours. Now go and prepare. Glorfindel leaves at first light on the morrow!"

Erestor spluttered indignantly as Elrond turned and left him alone and speechless in his chambers. Glorfindel had a smile of pure smugness etched on his face as he followed Elrond out.

Finishing his packing and snapping his pack closed, Glorfindel grabbed his long curved sword and bow and went to Erestor's chambers to see how things were faring.

"Are you almost packed and ready to go?" Glorfindel asked cheerily as he entered the room.

Erestor glared daggers at him. "As a matter of fact, yes, I am… and don't expect any kind of civilized conversation either. I'm still unhappy about being forced into going on this heinous trip."

Glorfindel merely smirked. "As you wish, Mr. Grumpy Pants, but you will thank me for this later… just you wait and see!" He turned to leave the room but stopped on the threshold. "Oh and you might want to bring that sword of yours. You know the one you have hanging on the wall as a decoration because you have no use for it anymore as you are always stuck in your study?"

He ducked the book that came flying in his direction with a laugh. "I shall see you at the main gates in a few moments."

Leaving the room, he quickly proceeded to the main gates and leant lazily against the large pallor, waiting for Erestor to show himself.

A few minutes later, he looked up to see his travelling companion, lugging his pack along with a scowl on his face whilst grumbling about being forced into going on such a ridiculous trip. His sword hung at his hip.

Glorfindel just laughed and shook his golden head. "Erestor, please don't look too excited about this!" he said brightly while picking up his own bag and sword.

Erestor shot a glare at him. "Don't press your luck, Glorfindel, Lord Elrond only said I had to go… he didn't say I had to enjoy it or be civilized." But deep down, Erestor was a little excited. However, he would never admit this to Glorfindel. "Now, can we please hurry this up and get going. The sooner we leave the sooner we can get back and the sooner I can return to my nice, peaceful, adventure-less life."

Glorfindel smirked, "You call spending all your days, reading and writing reports, a life? My dear friend, you really need to broaden your activities." Earning a glare from the chief advisor the two elves headed out the gates of the Last Homely House, and started off into the trees.

At first Erestor struggled to keep up with the energetic strides of Glorfindel, as he was not accustomed to all the vigorous walking. Glorfindel, on the other hand, was whistling away a merry tune and skipping over an occasional rock or fallen branch. Erestor continued to glare at his back as he followed him at a slower pace.

Finally, after about three hours of vigorous walking, Erestor managed to catch up to his friend. "Do you mind telling me where we are heading? It seems to me that we are not heading in any particular direction." He was slightly breathless and longed for a break.

"Oh, Erestor, so you finally managed to catch up and you are actually talking! Well, to be honest, I don't know where we are going, exactly," Glorfindel replied, almost a little too happily.

Erestor was shocked. "You don't know where we are going? How can you not know where we are going?" he responded, almost ready to strangle his friend. "I thought we were going someplace particular. Not wandering around in the forest!"

Glorfindel chuckled and patted the dark haired elf on the back. "Relax Erestor; you'll give yourself a nosebleed. I just meant that I don't have a certain place in mind. I'm letting my feet take us wherever they might. We are not lost if that is what you think." Boy, sometimes Erestor can be so dramatic, Glorfindel thought with a shake of his head.

"How much longer until we get to our final destination for the night?" Erestor asked curiously. Although he did not want to appear interested, he could not help himself as he admired the beauty of nature all around him.

Glorfindel thought for a few minutes before answering, "Oh, I'd say about another hour; two at the most. Just try to enjoy yourself! This is supposed to be relaxing." He patted his friend gently on the shoulder and quickened his stride once again.

"It's hard to relax when I'm lugging this pack on my shoulders and all these nasty mosquitoes are buzzing around and you are walking as if you were training the new guards! Left! Right! Left! Right" Erestor growled. "Besides," he added, "I was relaxing when I was back in the library with a good book or even playing chess with you on our chess nights."

Glorfindel just chuckled again and continued walking. Erestor sighed and picked up the pace of his feet. Of all things he did not want to lose Glorfindel in the forest. Valar knows what could happen then. It was a thought he did not want to think about. He shuddered slightly.

Finally, after a long hike, they came upon a small glen that was near a small stream. "We're here," Glorfindel announced, setting his pack down and beginning to lay out his bedroll.

"Are you sure?" Erestor asked, also setting his pack down. He glanced around uneasily. He was not used to spending the night out in the open.

"Of course I'm sure! This place is perfect for the night. We can look up at the stars, dip our feet in the stream and we are perfectly safe from any possible night raids. I will start a small fire in a moment and then search for some game."

Erestor wasn't too sure about the last bit, but he had to admit this was a pretty relaxing spot. Maybe Glorfindel did know what he was talking about and he really did need a good break from his work.

When Erestor finished getting settled, he helped Glorfindel get wood for a fire and after it was lit, Glorfindel went out hunting for something to eat. About an hour later, Glorfindel came back with a nice buck, and he helped prepped it to cook over the firs on a spit.

While the meat was roasting, the two friends went to the stream and talked about nothing in particular, as Glorfindel was prone to babble about the most ridiculous things (which meant Erestor was mostly listening). Finally, they got the smell of roasted venison; a sure sign that dinner was done.

They ate in silence. After Glorfindel was finished, he cleaned off his hands and lay down on his back looking up in the night sky.

"Isn't this the life?" He after a while said breaking the silence. "This is the one good thing about going on patrols. I get to experience the wonders of nature. Granted, the twins are usually with me, but this is nice too."

Erestor finished his food and cleaned up, taking a place besides Glorfindel. "What do you think the twins are doing right now?" Erestor asked, already knowing the answer. The twin sons of Elrond were never far from mischief.

Glorfindel smirked to himself. "Probably finding some unsuspecting elf to pull one of their pranks on, since you and I aren't there to be the victims," he said, turning towards his friend grinning. Erestor's lips twitched before the two of them burst out laughing.

"Oh, I have to admit, I don't envy that poor elf, whoever he may be. Thank you for bringing me here, mellon-nin. I have to admit you were right," Erestor said, turning his gaze back up to the sky.

"Alright, who are you and what did you do with Erestor?" Glorfindel could not believe that Erestor had actually admitted that he was right!

Erestor grunted, "You heard me, don't get too comfortable with any compliments. If anyone asks me, I will outright deny it."

"As you wish." Glorfindel turned his head to look at his friend and could have sworn he saw him smile. "You're welcome though." Glorfindel resumed watching the night sky, as Eärendil shone brightly above neither aware of the danger that was looming in the shadows.


	2. Orcs and Wargs

Orcs and Wargs

Glorfindel awoke with a start. He had been deep in reverie when his sharp ears heard the unmistakable sound of orcs close by. He sat up, listening intently. Was it real or just his mind imagining things? He waited, the stillness of the night making him feel more uneasy. Slowly he stood and reached for his sword. He did not want to wake Erestor who was sleeping peacefully nearby if it was a false alarm.

If Erestor even got a hint that there were orcs nearby he would march straight back to the Last Homely House then and there and Glorfindel really didn't want to hike through the forest during the middle of the night.

Straining his ears, Glorfindel picked up the sounds of harsh growls and ear piercing shrieks deeper into the forest. Orcs were approaching. The elf crouched low and listened, his heart racing in his chest. Maybe, just maybe, they would miss the two elves.

As the shrieks and growls grew louder, he stood up. The pack of orcs was not going to pass them by. No they were going to stumble upon them if he didn't act fast. Quickly he crossed the camp and proceeded to rouse Erestor.

"Erestor, take up your sword! We are under attack!" he exclaimed to his friend, who, by now, was also wide awake.

The dark haired elf sat up, shaking slightly. "I thought you said this area was safe from orcs, Glorfindel!" he shouted to Glorfindel while taking up his sword and scrambling to his feet. He sent a death glare at the other elf when he received no answer.

"Well, I was wrong!" Glorfindel was among some of the best warriors in the valley of Imladris, followed closely by Elladan and Elrohir- whom Glorfindel had personally trained- and their father, Lord Elrond. Erestor, however, even though he had some experience with the sword, was not a warrior.

"How many do you think there are?" Erestor asked, fear beginning to grow in him. He had never actually had a cause to use a sword, even though he had been trained in the basics of self-defense. Although his skill was little, it would be more than an average human's skills.

"It's hard to say, but from the sounds of it, I'd say at least a dozen, possibly more. Just stay close to me and you'll be fine," Glorfindel knew that Erestor was not a fighter, and if they were to become separated it would be more than likely that Erestor would be cut down. This, he did not want happening. Although Erestor was sometimes annoying and often angry with the littlest thing, he was a true and loyal friend.

Several orcs burst through from under the trees into the clearing and began their assault on the two elf lords. Glorfindel immediately began to fire arrow after arrow at the orcs, striking them down one after the other. As soon as the arrows were gone, he had no choice but to start in on hand-to-hand combat. Glorfindel was relentless as he continued his own counter-assault on the orcs, striking them down as they came in near distance to him and Erestor. He did his best to keep them from breaking past him, but he could feel himself beginning to tire. As his eyes quickly surveyed the ring of bodies starting to pile up around him, he realized that he had vastly underestimated the number of his enemy.

This was not some lone pack of scouts. This was a group sent out for a purpose. A purpose that was not meant to fail in anyway.

Erestor could tell his friend was starting to lose energy and tire, and that if he didn't do something, and fast, Glorfindel would end up being over powered and most likely killed. He didn't know what possessed him to take up his sword and begin his own attack, all he knew was that he ran forward and began to aid his friend.

"What are you doing Erestor? You'll get yourself killed!" Glorfindel yelled at his friend. "Get out of here!"

"What does it look like, genius, I'm helping you!" Erestor snapped as he started to hack the orcs down. "I am not going to leave you to these foul creatures on your own!" He yelled back over the crash of steal against steal.

The two elves fought restlessly onwards, refusing to give into the orcs. Just as they were gaining the upper hand and the battle seemed to be drawing to a close, two warg riders burst through the trees and began to assail Glorfindel and Erestor from either side. At the sight of the creatures, fear struck Erestor, who had frozen upon the entrance of the large, ravenous beasts. The large wargs growled and snapped as they approached the two elves, drooling at the mouth. They were a terrifying sight to behold, their eyes glowing a deep dark red.

One of the wargs saw Erestor, and with teeth bared and a deep growl charged straight at him. The warg could sense the fear rolling off the elf and knew he would an easy target. The orc atop him, laughed harshly as they drew near.

Glorfindel, who had just slain the other creature, looked back at his friend and saw what was going to happen with horror in his heart.

In a split decision, Glorfindel threw himself in between him and his friend. As Glorfindel raised his sword to deliver the killing blow to the neck of the creature, the warg sunk his deadly sharp fangs into Glorfindel's torso.

Glorfindel felt the searing, white hot pain of the teeth piercing through his flesh, and heard the unmistakable sound of his ribs snapping under pressure. He let out a blood curdling scream as he was lifted up off the ground and shaken like a rag doll, before the warg finally threw him across the glen, where he slammed hard into a tree.

Everything went black, and Glorfindel knew no more.


	3. Captured

Captured

Elrond was in his sleeping quarters deep in reverie when he awoke with a start. He frowned as he stared up at the large wooden beams that ran across the ceiling. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. Elrond looked around trying to think of what could have possibly distressed him at this hour. Nothing seemed to be out of place. When he had calmed himself he reached out to his children through his bond that he shared with them. No, everything was alright with them, so what was bothering him like this?

He concentrated his mind in searching his realm and the borders around it, searching for a disturbance. But as he found nothing he began to get even more agitated. He tried to rest but the feeling was getting more intense. What could possibly be wrong? The valley was silent, his children safe, the household staff at rest...All of a sudden it hit him hard…Glorfindel and Erestor! They were not here; they had left on their trip. As he used his energy to try and reach out to them the feeling was getting worse. Elrond tried communicating with them but received nothing back. It was then he knew that emotion of dread had to do with them; something was terribly wrong with his seneschal and chief advisor.

Immediately Elrond stood and rushed to his sons' room and shook them awake, "Elladan, Elrohir wake up now!"

The twins woke up and groggily looked at their father, "What is it Ada?" Elladan asked his father. He knew it had to be important for their father would never wake him and his brother up like this, especially after just coming back from a long patrol.

"Something is wrong with Erestor and Glorfindel," Elrond said while trying to keep his composure. "I can feel it."

At this both Elladan and Elrohir were up out of bed and getting dressed, "Are you certain Ada?" Elrohir asked as he pulled on his leggings.

"I'm positive. I am not sure what but when I reached out to them, I didn't get any response back from them. No, something has happened and we must find them quickly."

Elladan and Elrohir shared a glance with one another, deep concern etched on their faces. Quickly they both finished dressing and donned their weapons. For the elf lord to be as worried as he was, something terrible must have happened.

Meanwhile their father had left to ready himself. He knew that if neither Glorfindel or Erestor were answering him then one or both of them were seriously hurt and that time was of the essence. Elrond finished dressing, grabbed his sword Hadhafang along with healing supplies and left to meet up with his sons'. "We leave at once! I fear what could have happened."

The twins nodded in agreement and quickly went to the stables after their father told Lindir what was going on.

The three of them mounted their steeds and left Imladris at once praying to the Valar that they would guide their way and that they would protect their friends. The only sound was the horse's hooves on the soft earth. No one said anything as they rode hard into the night but all had the same fear written in their minds…what had happened to them and were they alive?

**~S~**

Erestor had watched with horror as Glorfindel was grabbed by the warg and thrown across the glen where he had smashed his head against the tree. When he didn't get up or move, the chief advisor feared the worst.

Erestor only had seconds to act before the warg that had attacked his friend made its move towards him. Instantly the beast had hurled itself at him. Erestor sprang out of the way seconds before the warg reached him barley avoiding becoming its next victim. Erestor knew he had to kill the beast and reach Glorfindel before it was too late so with a new wave of energy and determination, just as the warg was getting ready to strike him again Erestor lunged his sword through the snout. As the warg fell, howling with pain, Erestor raised his sword and with one quick stroke rammed his sword through the beast's neck.

When he was sure it was dead he quickly ran to Glorfindel. The golden haired elf was not moving but Erestor saw he was alive but just alive. Erestor knew he had to get him back to Imladris and fast but he didn't know how he was going to do it. They had not taken a horse with them, not where they near enough for him to leave Glorfindel and fetch help.

As he was contemplating these things he had failed to notice the several orcs that were looming in the trees behind him with evil malice grins as they watched the two lone elves. Erestor was just getting ready to try and move Glorfindel when the attack happened. Erestor had heard the snapping of branches and the feral growl of the orcs when he jumped. He had gone to reach for his weapon when he realized he had left it by the warg he had slain a few minutes ago. He cursed his stupidity. The orcs sneered at Erestor with a look that made his blood run cold.

"What's wrong elf scum? Did you lose something?" the orc snarled at him laughing as another pulled the sword from the warg and waved it around in the air with an air of triumph.

Before Erestor could grab Glorfindel's sword, another orc lunged at him. Erestor didn't have time to react and he felt a searing sharp pain of a blade sink into his upper arm. Erestor screamed in agony as it found its way deep into him. When the orc removed it Erestor fell to the ground on his knees. As he looked up into the red eyes of his enemy another orc came up and with a swift hard blow to his head had rendered him unconscious. Before everything went black he had called out with everything he could muster, a mental plea for help to Elrond.


	4. From Bad to Worse

From Bad to Worse

Erestor groaned as he began to come around slowly. He had no recollection of how long he had been out, but from what he could see through distorted eyes it was still dark outside. He tried to get an idea of where he was but he was still recovering from the blow to his head and was still confused and dazed from it.

Closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, he was relieved when his vision finally began to become clearer. However cold fear clenched its icy claws tightly into Erestor's gut when he realized the horrific reality that he was being held in an orc camp inside of a large cave. The cave was dark, very damp, consisted of many twists and turns and it smelled of rotting corpses; and despite being an elf he couldn't help but feel a cold draft even though it was the middle of summer.

Erestor began to look around, studying his surroundings and it was during this that he spotted them; orcs! About half a dozen or more of them near the entrance of the area of the cave they were being held in and judging by their size and appearance he was able to determine that they were scouts. They were brown in color with slanted yellow eyes and flat noses. They also had wide mouths with sharp fangs that protruded from their mouths. Also upon closer observation Erestor could see that they had long dangly arms and were much smaller than the average orc just slightly larger than a hobbit which meant they were usually easily disposable so they were typically used to keep watch over prisoners or to keep an eye and ear out for any possible intruders.

Erestor knew he had to get out but the more he tried to move the more his head throbbed and a huge wave of nausea and dizziness would overcome him. As he laid there he winched as his hearing picked up the sound of the grotesque voices of many other orcs gathered outside. He was able to tell by the sound of the voices that they were larger orcs probably commanding smaller scrawnier orcs but despite the sharp hearing of the elves, he was not yet able to make out what they were saying. Not that he was sure he even wanted to.

Closing his eyes Erestor tried to remember what had happened. They had been camping, and then the warg had attacked him. He remembered Glorfindel being bashed against the tree and falling unconscious just as the orcs had appeared from between the trees. After that all he could remember was a haze of pain and anger.

But where was Glorfindel? The blond warrior was nowhere in sight.

He moved slightly and gasped with pain as the wound on his arm began bleeding anew. Cursing silently to himself, he gently probed the injury. Thankfully the arm was not broken. Tearing a strip off his cloak he quickly bandaged his forearm, effectively stopping the bleeding. However, he could do naught with the throbbing headache but wait for it to cease.

When he had finished caring for his injuries the best he could he looked around him to see if he could find Glorfindel. As he looked down on the hard, cold stone floor he saw him. There, laying in a slump still not moving was his friend. Erestor swallowed hard. Why wasn't he moving? Erestor began to move toward him but each time he moved he would be assailed by bouts of dizziness and excruciating pain in his arm. He stopped only briefly and when it had passed he forced himself to get as close to Glorfindel as he could without attracting the attention of the enemy.

Erestor looked closer and tried to rouse him, "Glorfindel, wake up mellon." Still Glorfindel would not stir. I must try to find out what is wrong with him, Erestor thought to himself. The dark haired elf then proceeded to probe his friend's wounds to determine the extent of his injuries. As he looked more closely he gasped at what he saw: his head had a large gash right above his right brow and his torso had huge gaping puncture wounds from his lower abdomen to his upper ribs. As he felt for any broken bones he could detect nasty dark bruises and felt the unmistakable feeling of broken ribs. He then caressed his abdomen and could tell by the softness of it that he had internal bleeding. He knew that if Glorfindel wasn't treated and soon he would die. Erestor ripped part of his cloak even more and cleaned and dressed his wounds as best as he could.

Erestor cursed silently at himself for his stupidity. If only he hadn't of frozen Glorfindel wouldn't be hurt and they would never had been captured. Now because of him they were in an orc camp and Glorfindel could die because of him.

As he was loss in his thoughts he was interrupted by the sound of several orcs coming towards him followed closely by a larger more repulsive orc that Erestor figured must have been the leader. "Well, well, well, look who finally decided to wake up boys!" The larger orc said with a menacing laugh.

"Who are you and what do you want from us?" Erestor asked hoping his voice didn't betray the fear that was inside of him.

The commander laughed even more, "You hear that? The poor elf maggot wants to know what we want from them. Well you will know soon enough!" The leader then bent down and with a strong grip lifted Erestor up off the cave floor. "I'm known as Shurkut and we've got questions that need answering and you are going to tell us what we want to know."

With that the leader known as Shurkut had Erestor dragged away outside where he was then hung from a large tree limb. Erestor felt fear grip him as he began to realize the severity of the situation he was in. He had no idea what these orcs wanted or who they worked for but the fact that he and Glorfindel were still alive meant that these foul creatures worked for a higher power and had orders to keep them alive but that didn't mean they would not be tortured.

After he was hung from the tree Shurkut came over followed by three other orcs which carried several objects two of which Erestor recognized as a whip and a branding iron. Erestor paled as he knew if he refused to answer their questions he would most undoubtedly be beaten severely.

Shurkut neared Erestor and grinned; "Now it is quite simple. We know that you hail from Rivendell and that your master is Lord Elrond." Erestor blanched even more, Elrond? Why would they want to know about Elrond? Shurkut continued, "We want to know how many elves reside in Rivendell, how well you are armed, how to enter in undetected, Elrond's daily habits and about his ring. If you tell us what we want to know, you will be spared. If you don't…well, I don't think we need to tell you what will happen."

How did they know about Elrond's ring? No one but a few elves knew about his ring Vilya. The only ones to know were Glorfindel, his children, Galadriel, Celeborn and himself. He knew none of them would ever betray that secret to anyone, so who else could have found out? It didn't matter because Erestor would never betray his lord or Imladris' secrets. He would die before that ever happened.

As if sensing Erestor's defiance Shurkut growled, "So you are not going to cooperate with us eh? Well we have ways of making you talk." He then motioned to one of the orcs with the branding tool which was now red hot. As he came closer Erestor closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself for what he knew was going to happen. He felt the heat near his body and after a few seconds a searing hot pain and the smell of burning flesh ripped through his body. Erestor let out a scream and tried to get away but he was unable to move. The orc proceeded to burn him again and again but each time Erestor still refused to talk. After a bit Shurkut became angry. He then had the other orc come forth and then just as Erestor thought it was over, he felt a stinging sensation rip through his body and the feeling of something wet dripping from his back and side. He was being flogged. Over and over it continued until Erestor could not take it anymore and begged them to stop.

Finally, it stopped as it was apparent Erestor was not going to tell them anything. They knew they had to keep him alive by orders of their master so the beating ceased. For now. The orcs then untied Erestor from the tree his arm now bleeding through the bandage and feeling now cold and numb. They dragged him back into the cave and threw him next to Glorfindel who was still out cold.

"You may have won this round maggot, but mark my words next time you will not be so lucky. We will be back in the morning and you had better tell us what we want to know or else your friend is next!" Shurkut growled and with a huge heave of his boot kicked Glorfindel in his chest before turning to leave with a maniacal laugh. As Erestor looked down at his friend the sight that he was met with was horrendous. There in front of him was Glorfindel white as a sheet and convulsing.


	5. No Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold words indicate Black Speech

No Hope

Lord Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir had been travelling hard for two days searching for any signs of their friends. Their horses were beginning to tire as they had not stopped for a decent rest in hours and had pushed the strong beasts to their limits in an effort to reach Glorfindel and Erestor.

"Ada", Elrohir said patting his mare's chestnut colored neck softly, "We need to stop soon; our horses can't take much more of this vigorous speed." The horses were shaking under the stress of their extended rush. Elladan glanced down at his own horse which was foaming at the mouth.

Elrond just shook his head, "We can't stop, we have to keep going. Every minute that passes is a greater chance that they could die!" Elrond firmly stated. No they had to keep going, Erestor and Glorfindel were like family and Elrond just couldn't handle the thought of something horrible happening to them or even death. He shook his head to get the thoughts out of his mind and pushed Gwaenaer even harder.

Elladan started to protest; "Ada, we have been..." he was cut off suddenly when his father rained in his horse and raised his hand to motion for them to stop. Elladan stopped and his brother stopped seconds later, pulling up beside him with a puzzled look. They wondered why their father was just staring intensely at the ground in front of him. When they look down they discovered why.

They had come upon the glen where Glorfindel and Erestor had stayed that night and the sight that they were met with was like something from a bad dream. Dozens of orcs were sprawled all over the place. Some had arrows sticking in them while others had their throats slit or were ran through. Elrond quickly dismounted his horse and began to investigate the carnage around him. He was followed closely by his two sons.

Elladan pulled one of the arrows out of a nearby orc, "These are the same arrows that Glorfindel uses Ada, but where are Erestor and Glorfindel?" Elladan was surveying the area but his eyes could not find his friends anywhere. His eyes darkened as his eyes fell on the wargs and a sword. He quickly ran over and picked it up. "Ada, Elrohir, over here quick!" He called, straightening up, the elvish blade in his hands.

Elrohir could feel through their bond that his brother was very worked up and afraid, "What is it Dan? What did you find?" He didn't need to wait for an explanation for his eyes fell on the object in his brother's hands and the color drained from his face. "It's Erestor's sword!" He closed his eyes as he looked away. The situation was turning grim.

Elrond took the sword from his son and tried to keep calm. If the sword was here then surely Erestor and Glorfindel were around as well, however as he looked he saw no sign at all of either his Seneschal or Advisor. He was just beginning to give up hope when he spotted something red on a tree not too far from where Erestor's sword was found.

Quickly he made his way over towards it. As he got closer he recognized it as blood and there was more on the ground. As he kneeled down to get a better look he began to feel sick as dawned on him what is was. It was elvish blood. And right next to his feet was Glorfindel's sword, the once shining silver metal covered with deep black orc blood. He sensed his sons' presence close by.

"They were here, that much is for sure," he said without looking up. "We have to keep looking. We know they are alive as they were not among the dead but I fear that they are in serious danger. There is no time to waste!" Elrond quickly got up and moved swiftly back to his horse with both Glorfindel's and Erestor's weapons in hand.

Elladan and Elrohir glanced at one another anger and fear gripping them. They had better be alive or I swear that I will not rest until every orc is hunted down! Elrohir whispered to his brother through their bond. Elladan simply nodded in agreement and mounted his horse. They knew that time was of the essence and as tired as their horses were they could not rest.

**o~S~o**

Erestor was frozen in place. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Glorfindel was lying on the ground convulsing. White foam was forming at his mouth and his body was twitching in different ways. Erestor tried to will his body to move but he was too much in shock for his mind to register the commanded and go to his friend.

Glorfindel suddenly went very still. Erestor finally managed to pull himself out of his stupor and weakly pulled himself over to his friend. As he got a closer look at Glorfindel his heart nearly stopped: Glorfindel wasn't breathing!

"Glorfindel!" Erestor shouted, shaking his friend, but Glorfindel didn't move. Erestor knew he had to act quickly if he was going to save his friend from dying…again. There was no way Glorfindel was going to go to Mandos' Halls again and leave him here alone to face these creatures by himself. No way! Glorfindel got him into this mess and he was going to help him get out of this. Erestor managed to get into a kneeling position over his friend and with great effort he began to pump his hands on his chest several times then he tilted his head back and blew two puffs of air into his mouth. He checked again and still he wasn't breathing so he repeated the procedure. After about five minutes Glorfindel gasped for air and began coughing.

Erestor breathed with a sigh of relief, "Oh thank the Valar." He wasn't sure if he wanted to hit him or not. As he feebly sat next to him he heard Glorfindel babbling. He wasn't sure all of what he was saying but he could hear bits and pieces of what sounded like Gondolin and fighting the Balrog. "He really must have hit his head, but at least he is alive…for now anyway." He said the last part through gritted teeth casting Glorfindel a death glare. As Erestor shifted his weight he felt a huge wave of dizziness assault him and his head felt like it was going to explode, his arm also began to feel like ice and he could barely move it.

Just as he was beginning to ponder what could be causing his illness he heard the door open and the head orc known as Shurkut came in. "So you filthy rotten maggot, are you ready to talk?"

"I told you I will not tell you anything you dunghill rat!" Erestor knew he was probably going to regret what he said later.

Shurkut snarled at him and began to reach towards Glorfindel. Erestor was contemplating on trying to fight him but knew it would be pointless to do so. He just didn't have the strength in him to fight. "I think it be wise if you reconsider your statement you maggot, because if you don't, your friend here is going to become a tasty meal for our wargs."

Erestor was just about to respond when a bunch of scouts came in. They were apparently upset about something but as they were talking in the Black Speech he couldn't quite understand what they were talking about. The harsh language sent shivers up his spine as he listened to it.

" **Shurkut, we were out patrolling when we noticed that we were being tracked by three elves. They were dark haired and wore armor of that of high ranking elves**."

Shurkut became furious and ran one of the scouts through, " **You filthy swine, I told you not to draw attention to yourselves. You could have led them back here! I want you to go back and bring as many of your men as you can and bring me those elves, and I want them alive!"**

" **Yes Shurkut** ," the scout replied and left with his men.

"Well, it appears that you are being looked for. Three of your kin are out looking for you and they are of high ranking."

Elrond! Erestor thought almost daring to feel hopeful but also was afraid for him as well. If it was Elrond, then his sons would be with him as well.

"I wouldn't get too hopeful because I just had my men go and capture them and bring them back here. You got lucky this time, but we'll see just how quiet you remain when we bring them here and start in on them." Shurkut let out a deep laugh and left.

Erestor sighed in relief. He knew he was lucky this time but he knew he wouldn't get off so easy next time. He had to get them out of here. He looked over to Glorfindel who by now was beginning to stir.

"Erestor, is that you?" Glorfindel asked still very out of it and confused.

"Ai, it is me Mellon. How are you?" Erestor didn't need to really ask as he could tell by how pale Glorfindel was that he was not doing well at all. He slowly made his way over to his friend.

"I feel wonderful, like I can climb to the top of Mount Doom," he laughed softly. "Where are we and what happened?"

Erestor proceeded to tell him everything that he knew. When he was finished Glorfindel was mortified.

"They want Elrond's ring? How could they know about it? Only a very few people know about the ring and none of us would ever dare betray the secret of who the owner is. The only other person that would know would be Sauron but that is impossible…"

"That was my other guess, and that can be the only explanation and now it looks as if Elrond is out looking for us and Shurkut has sent scouts to capture them and bring them here."

"This is not good," Glorfindel was now looking at Erestor with deep concern as he noticed that he was not looking very well at all. "Erestor, are you okay?"

Erestor tried to answer but was having a hard time answering him as he was now shaking and sweating profusely. Finally, he answered weakly, "I... I think...so. I think it is just blood loss." Erestor leaned his head back and closed his eyes falling into a deep sleep.

Glorfindel just looked at his friend, "Oh Erestor I am so sorry. I never should have brought you out here."

Meanwhile somewhere out there unaware they were being tracked themselves Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir were steadily moving closer towards the hidden Orc encampment, their minds set on one thing and one thing only; to reach Erestor and Glorfindel before it was too late.


	6. Trouble for Elrond

Trouble for Elrond

Glorfindel looked at his sleeping friend with grave concern. Elves did not sleep with their eyes closed and simple blood loss would not cause an elf to have all these other issues that Erestor was displaying. No, something else had to be bothering his friend. With great and difficult effort, Glorfindel painfully inched his way closer to Erestor. The blond elf was in mass amounts of pain radiating from his stomach to his head but he pushed his own problems aside at the moment. He would assess his own injuries later but right now he needed to find out why Erestor was in great distress.

When he was close enough to examine Erestor's wound he paled. The advisor's whole body was bloody and bruised from his waist up. He had massive burns on the sides of his torso and stomach in intricate designs. His back and part of his sides were covered in gruesome lashes that were crisscrossed. Then he saw his shoulder. He was unable to look at it with his tunic on but he could tell by the blood stain that there was deep and nasty stab wound and from the looks of it he had lost a lot of blood from that as well as the lashes he received.

Glorfindel needed to try and treat his wounds the best he could, so with great care and some difficulty Glorfindel managed to cut Erestor's tunic off with a small elven dagger that he always kept hidden in his boots. Thankfully the orcs were too stupid to check to see if they were carrying any hidden weapons. Once he cut away the fabric he was met with a sickening sight. Not only was the wound visibly infected but there were thick, long black lines radiating away from the wound. Erestor was poisoned and from the looks of it and from the symptoms he had been displaying it was a deadly poison.

Glorfindel closed his eyes after a moment to try and gather his thoughts. "This is not good at all; I must find a way to get us out of here and fast." Glorfindel bit back the anger that he was feeling. This is all my fault, if I had never brought Erestor out here this would never have happened, he thought to himself.

He opened his eyes and shook those thought from his mind. He knew that feeling sorry for himself was not going to help him or Erestor get out of this situation. Once he had cleared his mind and regained his composure he mustered up his strength and began to rip pieces of Erestor's tunic apart and clean his wounds with some water that had been left in there for them. He didn't know just how clean the water was but he had no choice but to use it. Once he had cleaned the wounds as best as he could, he used some of his healing energy to try and slow down as much of the poison as he could as well as transfer some of his own energy to him. He had to be careful as he didn't want to use too much of his energy or he would be too weak himself.

Once he was done and he made Erestor was as comfortable as possible he could now focus on himself. Glorfindel opened up his own tunic to evaluate his own injuries. Upon looking at his abdomen where the warg had gripped him he noticed the ghastly puncture wounds that spanned from his lower abdomen to his upper rib cage. The puncture wounds were also seriously infected, they were an angry red and he noticed pus leaking out from them. Around the infected area he noticed a colorful display of purple, blue, and black bruising that also led up to his ribs. He gasped from the severe pain upon pushing down on his abdomen and from the hardness and rigid feeling he knew he was bleeding internally. He then began to probe his ribs and after he had examined them knew that a few of them were broken. He didn't need to feel his head as every time he moved his head a huge wave of dizziness and nausea assailed him, he could however feel a huge bump from where his head smashed into the tree.

Once he was done examining his own injuries and cleaning them the best that he was able to he sat down and tried to evaluate his surroundings and figure out what he was going to do to get him and Erestor out. He knew that from his own injuries and that of his friend's that if they didn't get back to Imladris and soon they wouldn't need to worry about orcs killing them they would die from their own injuries. However, try as he might, he could not think of a way to get them out of here. His head was killing him and with no sword he knew he would be killed before he could say Valar help. All he could do was to sit and hope that Elrond and whoever else was with him got here and soon.

A few minutes later Glorfindel heard Erestor beginning to stir. Glorfindel immediately scooted over to his friend and helped him sit up. With a concerned look on his face he looked at his friend, "How are you doing Erestor?"

Erestor was having difficulty focusing but after a minute he responded agitatedly, "How do you think I'm doing?"

Glorfindel sighed, "I'm sorry my friend for getting us into this mess. I never should have brought you out here. I just thought you needed the break as you are always working so hard. Forgive me please."

Upon seeing the pain and regret on Glorfindel's face Erestor could not find it in his heart to be angry with him, "No, my friend, there is nothing to forgive. I know you were only trying to help me and I thank you for that."

Glorfindel smiled softly, "Thank you Erestor. However, we must get out of here soon as we are both in grave conditions. I took the liberty of looking over your wounds and the stab wound you received is poisoned. You need to get back to Imladris soon."

Upon hearing that Erestor paled even more if that was even possible, "Poisoned? That is just my luck. Why is it whenever I am with you, something always happens to me that makes me end up in the infirmary?"

Glorfindel just chuckled and sat down beside his friend. They really were a pair.

**~S~**

Elrond didn't know how long they had been travelling since they came upon the area where their friends had been taken captive by the enemy, all that was going through his mind was that he had to find them and fast for every passing minute could bring them closer to death. They had been tracking the orcs for what seemed like days and still they didn't seem any closer to finding Glorfindel or Erestor.

Finally, they came to a river and Elrond came to a sharp stop. Elladan and Elrohir pulled up beside him.

"Ada, why have we stopped?" Elrohir couldn't understand why they would have stopped here of all places, but by the look on his father's face he knew something was up.

Elrond dismounted his horse and began pacing up and down the river, every so often stooping down to look at the ground. Eventually he came back to his sons' and there was no doubt he was flustered badly, "It appears we have lost the trail, they must have crossed the river." He got back on his horse and turned to face his sons who were now angry.

Elladan finally lost his temper, "So now what do we do now? If we lost their tracks how do, we find them?" Elladan could not believe that they had come all this way just to be thwarted by orcs. Elrohir too also looked like he was on the verge of admitting defeat.

Elrond however was not going to admit defeat so easily, "We will split up and look for their tracks elsewhere. We are not going to give up and just abandon Glorfindel and Erestor to torture and death!"

Elladan and Elrohir were not sure splitting up was a good idea but right now they didn't know what else to do. They had to find the trail again and soon and perhaps splitting up was the only way they would find the path the orcs took.

Elrond looked at his sons'. He knew they were exhausted and it tore at him that he was putting them through this without hardly any sleep or rest, but he also knew they would not complain to him either. He knew how much Glorfindel and Erestor meant to them and he also knew that they did not want the same thing that happened to their mother to happen to them. He was so proud of his sons.

"I know you are tired ion-nin and I wish we could rest but we must keep pushing on. You two go down river and look for any sign of tracks and I will look up river. We will then come back here in about an hour to decide our next course of action. Be safe. I could not bear to lose one or both of you."

Elladan and Elrohir nodded in agreement and departed to look down river for any tracks of their enemy, while their father went the other way.

Elrond pushed Gwaenaer on. He knew they need a breakthrough and soon or his horse would succumb to exhaustion and then they would never find them in time. He just whispered words of encouragement and strength to his horse and trudged on. After about thirty minutes of looking for any clues he came across some foot prints. He came closer and examined them and realized that they belonged to the orcs they were tracking. With a new wave of hope and strength he followed the tacks, "I have you now," he spat with anger. He knew he needed to turn back and meet with his sons but he against his better judgment kept on following the trail. After a few minutes he came to an area that had a small overhang. He dismounted Gwaenaer and proceeded on foot to investigate the area more closely.

Elrond was beginning to get a very uneasy feeling and was just about to go back to meet with his sons' when he was assailed. He had no idea where they came from but at least seventy orcs came careening down the overpass. Elrond barely had time to pull himself together when the first strike hit him. He was caught so off guard that the blow had dazed him. The orc would have finished him off if he had not recovered so quickly. He had managed to counter attack his opponent just to be hit by another one. On Elrond fought killing orc after orc, he didn't know how many he had already taken down but by surveying the area around him he knew they were piling up and fast. Elrond was beginning to feel the exhaustion from no sleep and the fight overtaking him. He had to get out of here or he was going to be overtaken. Elrond was just about to make the break for it when he felt a piercing blow to his right leg. As he looked down he saw that he had been shot. It took all his strength to keep from collapsing from the injury; he continued to fight his way through the onslaught and was almost home free when another arrow hit him in his leg. This time he was unable to keep upright and the orcs seized their chance. Several orcs pummeled him knocking him to the ground. Elrond frantically tried to break free and he had managed to take down several more orcs before a larger orc came up from behind him and with one strike to the back of his head had knocked Elrond out cold.

**~S~**

"Elladan we have been looking for almost an hour and we haven't found any sign of them. Ada told us to meet him back in an hour, we must go now." Elrohir was beginning to get irritated and impatient. They had been searching every nook and cranny for the orcs but had come up empty handed. Now they were going to be late in meeting up with their father and that was not going to go over very well with him.

Elladan knew his brother was right. With a growl he angrily kicked a huge rock and turned to go back to his horse that he had left back at the river, "Fine, let us go back. I only hope Ada had better luck than us."

Elrohir was just about to answer when he saw his brother grab his head and scream in agony as he collapsed to the ground. "Elladan what is wrong," Elrohir cried out in horror, rushing to his twin's side. Just as he got to him he was also assailed by a sharp pain to his head and clutched it falling to the ground as well.

As suddenly as the pain hit, it stopped leaving only a dull pain as a reminder of what had taken place. Elladan raised his head and looked at his brother with tears in his gray eyes. "It is Ada, something has happened to Ada," he gasped. "We must hurry; it may already be too late!"


	7. Interrogation

Interrogation

It was late in the afternoon when Erestor was roused from his rest by the sounds of several feet loudly coming their way. Glorfindel had fallen into a deep sleep and had not woken yet. He had no idea if Shurkut was coming back for them or not. He was getting ready to put up a fight when the door to their cell had opened and being dragged behind them was an unconscious and injured Elrond. Erestor inhaled sharply. If Lord Elrond was here, then what had become of Elladan and Elrohir?

As the orcs tossed Elrond roughly in with Glorfindel and Erestor one of the orcs turned laughing, "Don't get to comfortable elf scum, Shurkut will be coming for you and your elf Lord soon enough." With a final laugh the orc slammed the cell door leaving the two solemn elf lords alone with Elrond.

Minutes after the shock had worn off Erestor turned and made his way over to Elrond. Erestor was worried for his friend. Upon looking him over; he couldn't help but notice the deep bags under his eyes which indicated that he was very tired. He was also covered in smudges of dirt and dry blood covered the back of his head from where he had been hit. He then noticed the two arrows that were protruding from his leg; he knew he needed to wake him up. Ever so gently he shook his friend and whispered, "Elrond, my friend. Can you hear me? It's Erestor." After no response, Erestor was beginning worry that perhaps Elrond had received a severe head injury when Elrond began to stir.

Erestor sighed with relief. "Oh thank the Valar."

Elrond tried opening his eyes, but when he did a huge wave of dizziness assailed him. He immediately closed his eyes again for a few minutes and then tried opening them again. This time the dizziness wasn't as bad but the massive throbbing in the back of his head was another matter. He groaned in pain and attempted to sit up but he immediately regretted his decision as the room that he was in began to spin. He would have keeled over if it hadn't of been for a pair of hands keeping him upright.

Upon feeling hands upon him his survival instincts kicked in and he tried to fight off the hands that were holding him. "Elrond easy mellon, it is I Erestor, I am not going to hurt you."

Erestor? Upon hearing his old friend's voice Elrond stopped fighting and turned his head slowly as to not be beset by dizziness again. When his vision had finally come into focus he relaxed and a smile of relief formed on his face. "Erestor! It is you; I was so worried I was not ever going to find you. Where is Glorfindel?"

Erestor smiled back but it quickly faded upon hearing his friend's name, "Glorfindel is here, but he is hurt badly. He has a severe head wound and it appears that he may have some internal bleeding."

As soon as he had heard the news of Glorfindel's injuries Elrond's smile faded as quickly as it came. "Where is he, and what happened?"

Erestor pointed to Glorfindel, and helped Elrond over to him, he wanted to help remove the arrows from Elrond's leg but he wouldn't allow it. His healer's instincts kicked in and Erestor knew that he wouldn't care for himself until everyone else was taken care of first.

Elrond immediately began to probe Glorfindel and upon further investigating, Erestor's suspicions were correct, Glorfindel did indeed have internal bleeding and it was severe. He also noticed the infected puncture wounds and the discoloration around his ribs which indicated they were broke. What also worried him was the huge laceration on his head right above his eye. Elrond hadn't realized he was holding his breath and released it. "How did this happen?" Elrond asked with a grave look on his face.

Erestor closed his eyes and began to tell Elrond everything he knew. He told him about how the orcs attacked them in the middle of the night, how it was an organized fight not some random raid, how the wargs had appeared and that he had frozen and Glorfindel had thrown himself in front of him and the warg and was thrown head first into the tree. Elrond had listened not interrupting once.

When Erestor had finally finished his tale Elrond was silent, but the look of horror and disbelief was great. So this whole attack was planned after all. They weren't just out looking for random elves or men to torture, they had been looking for Elrond or anyone associated with him, and they were after his ring. His friends were captured and hurt because of his ring! Elrond knew he had to hide his ring. He took it off and hid it in his boot. "We must keep this ring safe. They cannot find it or the damage that can be done will be great."

Erestor nodded in understanding, "What about Glorfindel, can you help him?"

Elrond heaved a sigh, "I can bind his wounds and put some Athelas in the infected wounds but apart from that, I can do nothing until we get back to Imladris." Elrond took his pouch which thankfully the orcs didn't take and took some Athelas and chewed it to make a paste after which he placed in the infected wounds. He then bound the wounds with pieces of his cloak.

When he had finished Glorfindel opened his eyes and looked up at Elrond. He had no idea if he was dreaming or not but as soon as he tried sitting up the pain that assailed him in his ribs and abdomen quickly told him this was no dream.

Elrond stayed his friend gently keeping him lying down, "Easy Glorfindel, do not try and sit up yet."

Glorfindel was greatly concerned; where were Elladan and Elrohir and did they get the ring?

As if sensing his friend's concerns Elrond smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry Glorfindel, Elladan and Elrohir are safe as far as I know and I hid my ring. It is safe."

Glorfindel became very grim and with great effort he managed to speak, "They can't find it Elrond; they mustn't know you have it on you. No matter what they do to us do not tell them anything."

Elrond looked as if he wanted to protest but he knew his friend was right. No matter what these fell creatures did to him or his friends he could not betray the location of the ring.

Glorfindel closed his eyes again; as he opened them he looked over to Erestor who was now struggling to catch his breath and was clutching his upper right arm.

Elrond instantly was at his side with a severe expression of concern on his face, "What happened to Erestor?"

Glorfindel blanched, "He was stabbed by a poisoned blade the night we were attacked."

Upon hearing the news Elrond quickly sprang into action and tore off the cloth that was bound to his arm. Sure enough upon looking at the wound, Elrond saw the tell-tale signs of poison and from the looks of it; it had spread rapidly throughout his body. At this time, he had also noticed the other injuries to his body that had no doubt been administered by means of torture. Elrond began to feel queasy at the sight of his friend's wounds which quickly turned to rage as he realized he had been beat to get information about his ring.

Elrond hastily put those feelings aside as he needed to concentrate on helping his friend. He had just enough Athelas left to tend to his wound. He chewed up the last bit and put it inside the wound. Upon feeling the Athelas enter, he jerked his arm trying to get away but Elrond was too strong and held him in place. He then began to pour his energy into him to help ease his breathing. Finally, he felt Erestor relax and he began to wrap his arm and began to clean the rest of his wounds. Elrond knew that he had to get his friends' home quickly or they would die.

Just as he had finished tending to his friends and began to relax, the cell door opened and Shurkut entered in the room followed by several other orcs, all grinning madly. Elrond stared at him with defiance and hatred in his gray eyes. If only he had his sword, he would have struck this spawn of Morgoth down right then and there.

Shurkut glared back at Elrond silently challenging him to defy him, but Elrond just held his ground. "So you must be the mighty elf lord known as Elrond?" Shurkut boomed. "Well you don't look so mighty now that we have you here and you're unarmed!" He laughed.

Elrond glowered at him refusing to budge. Whatever he wanted he wasn't going to get it. He would not give in to him even if it meant his friends' dying. He knew he had to protect the secret of his ring for all the sake of Middle Earth. He knew that Erestor and Glorfindel understood and that they were willing to die as well.

Shurkut came forward and with a mighty grip lifted Elrond off the ground, "You have something that Lord Sauron wants you filthy scum and you will give it to us or else your friends here will end up paying the price for your lack of obedience."

Elrond only laughed, "If you think that I am going to tell you where my ring is you have got another thing coming."

Shurkut snarled in fury and with his other hand ripped the arrows out of his leg and threw him down on the stone floor. Elrond screamed in pain and grabbed his leg. As he looked down he saw that blood was now flowing from his leg and he tried to wrap it with cloth but Shurkut grabbed him again before he could.

"If you won't talk freely maggot," he bellowed his red eyes flashing, "then we will make you talk. We will see just how quiet you remain when you are watching your friends' here screaming in agony!"

Shurkut then motioned to the other orcs, "Take the elf filths to 'the room.' It looks as if though Elrond here needs encouraging loosening his tongue."

At the sound of 'the room,' a larger orc sniggered, "Come on boys, you heard Shurkut, we need to make him talk!"

After the orcs took Glorfindel and Erestor out of the cell, Shurkut snarled, "Tell me Elrond, how does it feel to know that you are the reason your friends' are suffering so needlessly? Do you think after all is said and done that they will still follow you?"

Elrond bit his tongue and just stared unemotionally at Shurkut, and with a growl Elrond was yanked from his cell and dragged to be joined with his friends.

A minute later Elrond was brought to what he assumed was "the room." As he was brought in he saw Erestor and Glorfindel being strapped to two tables that had several cruel looking tools next to them. Elrond could not believe this was happening. On the other side of the room several orcs were heating up different branding tools and preparing different styles of whips. Elrond looked back to his friends' and Glorfindel just stared at him, he heard Glorfindel speak to him in his mind, 'Don't tell them Elrond, and remember what I said. No matter what goes on and how much we yell and beg them to stop, do not give in to them'.

Elrond swallowed a large lump and held back tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes and nodded. He felt himself being restrained to a nearby pole. His leg was killing him and he had to force himself to push back the excruciating pain for the upcoming task before him: he had to keep himself mentally strong and force himself to block out his friends' screams as to not give in to the enemy.

Shurkut approached him and smiled menacingly, "This is your last chance, are you going to talk or are you going to let your friends' suffer?"

Elrond looked away and remained silent.

"Have it your way! Boys start making them scream," and with a sneer Shurkut left.

All Elrond could do was close his eyes and with a mental plea to Glorfindel and Erestor requested, "Forgive me my friends," and then tuned out his friends' pleas for help.

**~S~**

Elladan and Elrohir rode hard backtracking their way back to where they last saw their father. As they rode upstream desperately looking for their father's track they remained silent. Neither of them could bring themselves to even ask what they thought had happened, they just knew they needed to find him and fast. After a while they found their father's trail and followed it. Eventually they came to a small overpass and what befell them was horrifying…sprawled out all over the ground were several orcs. They didn't know just how many were there as the numbers were too many to count. All they knew was that they had to find their father and fast.

Elrohir was the first to respond, and swiftly dismounting his mare he ran to the scene, "Elladan, quickly, help me find father!"

Elladan quickly followed suite and began to scan the bodies of any sign of their father. However, after several minutes it was evident that he was nowhere to be found. "Elrohir, he isn't here!"

Elrohir refused to believe it, "He has to be Elladan, he can't have been taken too," but even he knew that it was evident he wasn't among the bodies of dead orcs. Just as he was going to agree with his brother and suggest they leave to look elsewhere, his eyes fell upon something shiny amidst several bodies.

"Elladan, over there!" Quickly running over, he pulled the orcs off and picked up the object. He couldn't believe what he saw…it was his father's sword.

Seconds later Elladan was at his brother's side, "It's father's sword. Elrohir, they have father. We have to go back to Imladris and get help. We can't do this alone."

Elrohir knew his brother was right. They had to get help or more than likely they too would be captured. "Then let us go quickly, it looks as if it will begin raining soon and we can't afford to lose the trail."

Both brothers ran back to their horses and with their father's sword quickly made their way back to Imladris.

**~S~**

They arrived several hours later their horses exhausted and the twins not much better. They hastily found Lindir and told him what all had happened and what they knew.

Lindir looked solemn, "So what are you planning on doing?"

Elladan looked at Lindir, "We are going to take several warriors with us and track down the orcs and bring our father and friends' back," he spat heatedly.

Lindir bowed respectfully, "Then make haste and be safe my Lords."

**~S~**

The twins bowed back and left. Once they were packed with several elven warriors, healing supplies, food and new horses, they quickly left Imladris and made their way back to where they found the orcs. They began looking for the trail that the orcs had taken and after several minutes found what looked to be blood and heavy foot prints.

Galon, Glorfindel's second in command knelt down and examined the prints, "They are orc prints alright and it looks like they lead that way." He stood back up and pointed north.

Elrohir then urged his horse in the direction of the tracks, "Then north we shall go. This way."

The company rode hard and fast for hours, neither stopping nor talking. They had only one thing in mind and that was to find the orc camp and take down every last orc and wild beast there and rescue their father and friends'. After a while the tracks began to scatter and become harder to follow until after a while they had lost them completely.

Elrohir who normally was the composed and collected of the two let out a loud yell, "This cannot be happening!"

Elladan felt his brother's frustration as he too was on the verge of despair. "Elrohir, do not lose hope, we will find them. We must keep looking."

Just as his brother was about to ask how they were to find them when they had lost the tracks they heard the sound of a warg in the distance. They quickly sent a scout to check it out who came back moments later confirming that they were scouts.

Elladan smirked, "Well, it looks like our luck is about to change after all brother. Let's go!" He then urged his horse and followed the track leading to where the scouts had been followed closely by the rest of the company.

**~S~**

Elrond had no idea just how long they had been in the room or how long he had forced himself to tune out his friends' scream of pain. Elrond would try and close his eyes but every time he did Shurkut would yank his hair or kick him to make him open his eyes again.

When it was apparent that Elrond would not answer, Shurkut had ordered his men to stop, "We will stop for now boys', we have orders to not kill them. Take them back to their cell and give Elrond supplies to "tend" to his friends'. We wouldn't want them to be too far gone so they can't tolerate another beating would we?"

The orcs laughed, and dragged the elves back to their cell and tossed them in. After a few minutes, one of the orcs threw in what appeared to be healing supplies for Elrond to "tend" to Erestor and Glorfindel.

Elrond went over to Glorfindel and Erestor who were both barely conscious at this point. Both of them had whip lashes in cruel designs that covered the majority of their bodies, they also had brandings on their thighs, stomachs and arms. Glorfindel was cradling his left hand which upon closer look all his fingers had been dislocated. Erestor's condition had now deteriorated rapidly. His breathing was shallow and his face was deathly paled, when Elrond felt his face he pulled back as it was ice cold.

Elrond used what energy he could spare and with the equipment that was given to him began the task of treating the two as best as he could, but he knew that unless help arrived soon, his friends' would be dead within days.

As Elrond was cleaning Glorfindel's lashes, he could hear the orcs outside getting restless. He knew that at any moment Shurkut could come back and he knew that Glorfindel and Erestor could not take another beating like this again. As he was contemplating these things the cell door opened up and two large orcs advanced towards Elrond grabbing him and dragging him out leaving Erestor and Glorfindel completely alone and vulnerable. As he was being taken to Shurkut Elrond said a silent prayer to Elbereth to please protect his friends and give him the strength he was going to need to endure whatever was waiting for him.


	8. Deliverance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics indicate telepathic speaking

Deliverance

It was mid-day when Elladan, Elrohir and the rest of the patrol had arrived at the large orc camp. Never before had the twins seen so many orcs and wargs gathered together. They couldn't be sure of their numbers but they were pretty sure there were over one hundred and that was just the outer perimeter, they didn't have a clue what was waiting on the inside; the only thing that they did know for sure was that their father, Glorfindel and Erestor were inside somewhere and they had to get in.

Galon looked over to Elladan, he was eager to get in and rescue his longtime friend and mentor but he also knew that they were outnumbered by a bit, "How are we going to get in without being outdone? We are outnumbered my lords."

Elladan smirked, "Numbers don't always mean a sure victory Galon. Worry not we will prevail. We will wait until night fall and then lure them out to us where we will ambush them. Orcs are not the smartest and they are easily dispatched once they are scattered and confused. After we have taken out most of the outer defenses here, you and your men continue to take out the rest while Elrohir and I breach the inner area and take out the rest."

Galon nodded in agreement, "Very, well my lord. It shall be done as you command."

After Elladan and Elrohir briefed the others they prepared themselves for the upcoming battle. They knew they only had this one chance to break in and rescue everyone. There was no room for failure as failure meant certain death.

Once nightfall had come upon them, Elladan and Elrohir had gone over everything one more time to Galon who gave his men the orders. Once everyone was in position Elladan fired an arrow into the nearest orc. The orc fell dead sending the orcs and nearby wargs into a frenzy. It was on now, and there was no turning back!

The closest orc sounded an alarm and as fast as they could they went charging to where the arrow had been launched. Elladan and Elrohir were perched in the nearest trees, and when the orcs and wargs came bursting through the twins threw themselves at the enemy! Galon gave his men the command and a volley of arrows came crashing down on orcs and wargs alike. The orcs had no idea what was happening and as Elladan had predicted became confused and scattered.

One by one the enemy was falling. The orcs had not been prepared for an attack and as such the elves were at an advantage. Within minutes most of the outer orcs had been dispatched. Galon turned to the twins and as he had finished hacking the orc he was fighting with yelled, "Go now my lords, we have it under control here, go and get your father!"

Elladan nodded and motioned for his brother and a few other elves to follow. They managed to make their way into the large cave without any difficulty as the enemy was occupied elsewhere. When they entered it was unnervingly quiet. "Keep on your guard," Elrohir whispered, orcs could be anywhere."

Ever so silently and stealthily they made their way further inside the dark cave like fortress. They began to wonder if they had lured all the orcs outside when as they made a turn they were assailed by several scouts. Elrohir who was the closest barely managed to maneuver his way from being struck and without difficulty beheaded the orc while his brother took down the other two. They gave one another a wary look indicating that they needed to be more careful.

After several minutes of searching Elrohir was becoming very agitated, " _How are we going to find them in this place_?"

Before his brother could answer they heard what sounded like voices a few feet away around a corner. As they quietly approached and peered around they saw two larger orcs standing guard next to a cell door. The twins glanced at one another, " _That must be where they are keeping them_ ," Elladan told his brother.

" _Ai, I will take them out from here. I have a clear shot_ ," Elladan replied removing an arrow from his quiver and without a sound aimed and released the arrow. The arrow found its mark in the nearest orc's head and before the other could sound the alarm Elladan had fired a second arrow right into its neck killing it instantly.

When both of the orcs were dispatched the twins quickly approached the cell door. Elladan retrieved the keys from one of the orc's and unlocked the door. Upon entering the room, they were both met a horrible sight: there lying on the hard floor was the golden haired warrior and next to him was the raven haired advisor. Neither was moving.

Elrohir swiftly went over to them followed by his brother. As they both knelt down beside the older elves, Glorfindel weakly opened his eyes. Upon seeing Elrohir a small smile formed on his ashen face, "You came pen neth."

Elrohir bit back a sob, "Of course I came, you didn't think I'd leave you here to have all the fun."

Glorfindel laughed, "Always the jokester." Suddenly Glorfindel started coughing and spit up a small amount of blood. "You have to find your father, they took him and I fear what they will do to him. They are after his ring and if they find it on him Middle Earth will be in grave danger. Don't worry about us, go."

Elrohir looked at Glorfindel as if he wanted to protest and then at his brother. "Glorfindel is right Elrohir, we have to find father before they find the ring," Elladan finally said after contemplating their options.

Elladan looked down at Erestor who was still not awake and was breathing very shallowly and then motioned to some nearby elves to come over. "I want you guys to stay with them and protect them with your lives. As soon as we find our father we will come back."

"Yes M'Lord," one of the elves replied.

Elrohir looked at Glorfindel one more time, "We will come back for you two, we swear it," and he squeezed his hand softly and left with his brother following close behind.

After seeing the conditions of their friends the two warriors pursued their enemy with heated anger. They would not stop until they found the one responsible for this and cut them down without any mercy. They also knew that they had to hurry as their father's life depended on them.

Turn after turn they went cutting down any orc they met along the way not stopping until at last they found Shurkut. Elrohir stopped suddenly motioning for his brother to stop.

" _What is it Elrohir_?" Elladan asked confused as to why they had stopped.

There around the corner in "the room" was Shurkut, and strapped to a table was their father. A sickening feeling entered Elrohir as he realized what was about to happen to his father. Elrohir narrowed his eyes and looked at his brother, " _It is Shurkut and he has father. When I move, I want you to use your bow and take him down. Then I will deliver the final blow_."

Elladan nodded and nocked an arrow, and as soon as Elrohir moved out of the way Elladan fast as lightening rounded the corner and loosed the arrow which found its way into the back of Shurkut.

Shurkut let out a howl of pain as he fell to his knees. As he started to rise back to his feet he looked around for his attacker. His eyes finally fell on Elrohir who had his sword in his hands. A snarl formed on his lips as he knew he was finally meeting his end. As he reached for his own weapon Elrohir ran his sword through Shurkut's gut. Shurkut removed himself from the sword and fell again to his knees. An evil malice formed in his eyes as he looked into the eyes of the dark hair warrior who would be his undoing, "You might have won this battle you filthy maggot, but you haven't won the war. Sauron will reclaim Middle Earth again and then you all will fall to ruin!"

Shurkut let out an evil laugh and with one quick stroke Elrohir had cut the head clean off of Shurkut's shoulders. Elrohir let out a deep sigh of relief and he ran over to his father. Elladan was at his father's other side and the two of them began to unshackle their father. Elrond was in a slight daze and was bleeding slightly from his mouth and forehead. Elladan also noticed the leg that had the arrow wounds to it and quickly ripped a piece of his cloak and bound the leg to stop the bleeding that had started again. As he was binding his father's leg Elrohir had channeled some of his energy into his father who was now coming to.

Elrond looked up and smiled as he saw who was by his side, "Ion-nin, I knew that you would find us. Did you find Erestor and Glorfindel?"

"Ai, we found them and we left some of our patrol with them father," Elrohir said smiling back relived that his father would be okay. As he looked around, he heard some footsteps approaching and was met by Galon who aside from a few scratches appeared to be okay. "How many did we lose?" Concern etched in his eyes.

Galon took a deep breath and let it out as he saw that Elrond appeared to be okay. He then turned to Elrohir, "We only lost a small handful, these fell creatures had no chance at victory."

Elrond sat slowly and with the aid of his sons stood and began walking back towards Erestor and Glorfindel, "Then let us be leaving this place. Glorfindel and Erestor are in dire condition and must get back to Imladris before it is too late."

Galon bowed and turned to go and help the other elves prepare to transfer Erestor and Glorfindel for the return ride home.

Elrond turned to his sons', "As for you two, I am so proud of you two. You have proven yourselves to be two fine ellyn and warriors. Now let us get out of here and go home," and with a smile the three began their way back to help the others with Glorfindel and Erestor and then they would all go home.


	9. Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound

It had been several hours since Elladan, Elrohir and the other elves from Imladris had rescued Lord Elrond, Erestor and Glorfindel. After making sure that all the orcs and wargs had been properly dispatched they began the long journey back home.

Lord Elrond had bandaged his leg which thankfully had not been poisoned but was very tender. He would not be able to walk on it properly for a while so he had to rely on his sons' helping him to his horse. As for Erestor and Glorfindel, they were loaded on stretchers and were in the process of being led out. Lord Elrond had to make sure that they would be well enough to start the journey back so he managed to at least stop the poison in Erestor's arm from spreading anymore and had also stopped the internal bleeding in Glorfindel. However, the two were far from being fine. Lord Elrond knew that time was still of the essence if the two were to live through this.

Before they departed Lord Elrond put Vilya back on his finger once more and looked back relieved that he would be leaving this place of evil once and for all. He was thankful that they had not found his ring, however, the pain he felt for his closest friends' who had suffered severely because of him and the ring was great. With one final check to make sure everyone was present and that all the wounded from the fight were stable, the Lord of Rivendell and his party departed for home.

As if sensing their father's distress Elladan and Elrohir rode up silently next to their father. The twins glanced at one another as if contemplating whether or not they should disturb their father or not. Elrond of course sensing his sons' and reading their thoughts broke the silence. "I am fine ion-nin; there is no need to worry for me. The ring is safe, the enemy that seeked to bring it to Sauron is destroyed and Glorfindel and Erestor are going to be fine once we reach the safety of our borders."

"Ai, father that we know," spoke Elladan softly, "Nonetheless we know you carry a great burden on your shoulders for what happened to Lord Glorfindel and Lord Erestor. Please let us help you carry that burden. Do not suffer alone."

Elrond looked up finally at his eldest and saw the pain in his eyes. How he hated to see his children hurt. They had already suffered enough as it was after what had happened to their mother and now this. He didn't want them to suffer anymore yet he knew how stubborn they were and that they would not relent until they were allowed to help him. He sighed, "I know that you two will not give up until I agree to let you help me so I guess I had better make it easier on all of us right now and allow you two to help me through this."

Elladan and Elrohir smirked at their father, "You know us too well father."

As they continued on in silence, one of the guards by the name of Gwennion, rode up to Elrond with concern on his face, "My lord Elrond, we need to stop and find shelter for it appears that the weather is not going to hold for much longer and lords' Glorfindel and Erestor are in no shape and will not survive in this impending weather."

Elrond looked up at the sky only to find that he was indeed right. The clouds were darkening and the wind was starting to pick up. As he looked back at his two unconscious friends he realized that they would not be able to continue, they had to find shelter and quickly. "Very well, let us find some place that can keep us out of this weather and where we can build a fire to keep Erestor and Glorfindel warm until it is safe for us to continue."

Gwennion bowed, "Yes my lord," and rode off with several other elves to look for sufficient shelter.

An hour later Gwennion called out to Elrond, "We have found shelter over here my lord. It should do just fine until the weather clears."

Lord Elrond and his sons' rode over to where Gwennion was and indeed not too far was an enclosure of a small cave just big enough for all the elves. They reached the cave just in time for the sky began to thunder and lightning flashed brightly. They barely had a fire started when the rain began to downpour soaking everything and anyone that was unfortunate to be outdoors.

"We will wait here until the weather clears up. In the meantime, I want guards to keep a look out at all times for any incoming intruder. I will be tending to the wounded," Elrond said to several of his troops before being assisted to where the more serious of the injured were. The guards bowed and went to stand guard.

It was going to be a long night for Elrond and his sons. At least four of his men had deep gashes that turned out to be poisoned. Fortunately, the poison was able to be treated with Athelas and they would be fine in a day or two. The two elves that worried him the most were Erestor and Glorfindel. They had not woken since they had departed from their imprisonment and now both were running high fevers. Erestor's breathing was slow and his lashes had become infected. As he looked over to Glorfindel he realized he was not faring much better himself. His breathing was very labored due to his broken ribs and upon looking at the puncture wounds he found they were not healing correctly. They were oozing with a nasty yellow-green discharge and they were hot on the touch. Looking closer at his pupils he saw that they were not responding to the light indicating that he had a concussion. Both elves lashes were bleeding anew and their burns were beginning to blister.

Elrohir looked at his father concern etched on his face, "Ada, we have to get them back to Imladris and soon. They will not last much longer."

"I know Elrohir, but we cannot travel in this weather. They would not last an hour out there in their condition. We must try and get their fever down and ease their pain as best we can here." He then looked at Elladan, "Elladan, boil some water and bring me the healing pouch you brought with you."

"Yes Ada," Elladan replied while getting up to retrieve the said items for his father and to boil some water.

"Elrohir, help me strip both of them. We need to clean their wounds before they become even more infected," Elrond said while beginning to remove the elves clothing.

Elrohir began to help remove the clothing while trying to be ever so careful not to hurt Erestor or Glorfindel. Even while unresponsive he knew they had to be feeling mass amounts of pain.

Once they had the water boiled and the two elf lords stripped they began to clean the wounds. They cleansed the wounds with Athelas and Elrond had managed to drain the puncture wounds on Glorfindel. Once they had finished with that they bandaged them both up and then proceeded to coax them into drinking a special tea that would help with pain and fever so that they could rest more comfortably.

Once Erestor and Glorfindel were stabilized and resting comfortably Elrond sat down to rest while keeping an eye on his friends. Without realizing it he reached for his leg which had begun to bleed again and was now throbbing.

Elrohir had noticed and brought new bandages and some tea with a pain drought laced with a slight sedative. "Here Ada, let me re-bandage your leg and please drink this tea. It will help with the pain and allow you to rest."

Elrond pushed the tea back, "No Elrohir, I must watch over Glorfindel and Erestor. It is my fault they are like this so I will watch over them."

Elrohir held back tears upon hearing his father speak like this, "Ada, what happened was not your fault. This could have happened to anyone. Glorfindel and Erestor would have been killed regardless of whether or not you gave them the ring. You must rest yourself otherwise you will be in no shape to care for them when we arrive back home. Elladan and I can watch over them tonight, please."

Elrond knew his son was right so after a little more coaxing, he finally relented and allowed his son to re-bandage his leg. He took the tea and drank it and after a few minutes he began to feel the effects of the sleep aid and was soon asleep.

Elrohir and his brother vigilantly sat by their friends' and father the whole night. Luckily the night went on without any incidents with wild animals, orcs or even Glorfindel or Erestor having an episode. As soon as the night wore off and morning crept in, the weather had decided to clear up enough that the company could continue their ride home. As Elladan helped his father on his horse he went back to help his brother with Erestor and Glorfindel. Providentially the fever did not flare back up during the night and they appeared to be breathing easier. Once they were dressed and back on the stretchers they went back to their horses and they continued their journey back to Imladris.

The rest of the way home proved to be without problems. The weather had cleared up to show blue sky and sunshine later in the day and within two days they had reached the borders of Imladris. Elladan had blown his horn to alert Lindir and the other occupants of their return and once they rode through the gates they were immediately greeted by Lindir and other healers who hastily took Erestor, Glorfindel and reluctantly Elrond himself back to the healing rooms.

Elrond was a very good healer but when it came to being healed himself he was as bad as his sons'! He had insisted that his leg was completely fine and that he was more than capable of tending to his friends himself. Lindariel one of the head healers would not let up until she had checked him over from head to toe. Once she was satisfied that Elrond was not going to keel over on her she gave him a clean bill of health. Elrond then got up and after muttering to himself about female healers and their stubbornness and having to poke and prod he began to work on Glorfindel and Erestor.

Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir had spent the next two weeks watching over the two elf lords. On more than one occasion both of them had decided that they were going to go try and pay Mandos a little visit, although never at the same time. So needless to say the three of them were constantly on their toes making sure that they didn't die on them. After many sleepless nights and close calls, the two lords were finally out of the woods and Elrond and his sons' could finally get some much needed rest. Elrond had vowed to himself once everyone was up and walking again that he was going to go and make a visit to his good friend Thranduil and drink himself into a coma for the next year! As he took one last look at Glorfindel and Erestor to make sure that they would be fine without him, he told Lindariel that he was going to go to his rooms and get some much needed rest and to please wake him if they woke up. He then headed to his rooms and join his sons' in a well-deserved siesta.


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

One month had gone by since Erestor and Glorfindel were released from the healing ward. Erestor could not wait to get back to his work and had just sat down to finish up some reports that were long overdue when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he replied without looking up from his work.

"Erestor," came the response of one whom Erestor had not expected to hear so soon.

Erestor looked up to see the face of his longtime friend Glorfindel. He had the look of one who had been thinking of something important but was not sure of how to proceed. "Glorfindel, what are you doing here? I thought you would be out training the new recruits."

Glorfindel came in and sat down. He took a deep sigh and looked up at his friend with pain in his eyes, "I wanted to come here to apologize to you for what happened." Erestor started to tell him he had no need to apologize but Glorfindel cut him off. "No, please let me say this," he took a deep breath and began again. "I am so sorry that you were captured and tortured. I took you out to have a good time and to get a break from all of your work. You have always been one to lock yourself up and not go out that I wanted to show you how to have fun. Instead, we were attack, captured and tortured and for that I am so sorry. If I had of been quicker, I could have stopped this from happening. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Erestor was speechless. He looked deep into his friend's eyes and when he saw the pain and guilt, he had to force back tears. He was not one to show emotions but leave it to Glorfindel to always find a way to break down his defenses. He took a deep breath and put his hands on his friends, "Glorfindel, I told you before that there was nothing to apologize for. I know you were only trying to help me and I thank you for that. No one could have predicted that this would have happened, but it did and we got through it and we are stronger because of it. I am sorry that I froze when I did. If I had of struck that warg down, you never would have been hurt and perhaps things would have turned out differently. I forgive you my friend but can you forgive me for not acting when needed?"

Glorfindel smiled and nodded, "Ai, I forgive you Erestor. You fought bravely for one who has supposedly never handled a sword."

Erestor laughed, "Well I wouldn't say I never used a sword but then again, one will be surprised at what they can do when forced to."

"Am I interrupting anything," a voice said entering Erestor's study.

Erestor and Glorfindel both rose upon seeing Lord Elrond enter the room.

"No, please do not get up. I only wished to speak to you for a few minutes before going to finish my rounds for the evening."

Erestor sat back down and motioned for Elrond to take a seat next to Glorfindel, "Of course my Lord, what is it you wanted to say?"

Like Glorfindel, Elrond was unsure of how to say what was on his mind. After a few minutes he finally spoke, "I wanted to tell you two that I am so sorry for what you guys went through back at that orc camp because of me and my ring. If anyone should have been tortured it should have been me. I am the owner of this ring so I should have been the one to take the blows not you. I know you told me to not say anything no matter what they did, but maybe if I did you two would have been spared."

This time it was Glorfindel to reach out as he placed his hand on Elrond's shoulder, "Elrond, listen to me. You have nothing at all to apologize for. I can't even begin to imagine what you went through watching Erestor and me go through all of that back there. However, we all know full well what would have happened if you had of told them what they wanted to know. The orcs would have still killed us, they would have gotten the ring and who knows what would have happened afterwards. Do not apologize; we wouldn't have expected anything less from you back there. I would go through all that again if it meant keeping the secret of Vilya safe and our lands."

"As would I my friend," said Erestor has he got up to comfort his friend. "You have a large burden as it is being a ring bearer, do not carry the burden of guilt on you as well. All is well now and everything is as it should be again."

Elrond smiled, "I am so lucky to have you two as friends. Thank you. So, when is your guys' next adventure going to take place?"

At this Erestor jumped to his feet and glared at the two of them, "Are you two out of your immortal minds? I am NEVER going on another adventure as long as I live! There is NO WAY I am stepping foot out there again! If YOU want to have another adventure then by all means you two feel free to do so, but I am staying here where I belong with my books, chess, and my endless amounts of paperwork! As it is, I am behind on the reports that should have been handled weeks ago. Didn't I tell you that going would be a bad idea? I said that I was the only one who was able to get everything taken care of and look, nothing got done! Now if you two will excuse me, I must get back to doing these reports so they will be ready for our next meeting with Thranduil."

With that he went back to his desk, sat down and began working. Glorfindel and Elrond just glanced at one another before smiling and leaving the room to leave Erestor to finish his work. Yes, things were now back to normal and neither of them could be happier.


End file.
